


Jess/Becker drabbles

by WittyWallflower



Category: Primeval
Genre: Attraction, Comfort No Hurt, F/M, Flirting, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Nightmares, Protection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-03
Updated: 2013-12-04
Packaged: 2018-01-03 08:35:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1068344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WittyWallflower/pseuds/WittyWallflower
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>various prompted Jess/Becker short stories.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

prompt: one character cheering up another character - Becker/Jess.

 

* * *

 

  
Jess Parker was on edge. Many stressful days and late nights were wearing away her usual friendly cheerfulness and her coworkers couldn't help but notice. Tension radiated within the Hub these days as people walked on eggshells around her. Connor stopped dropping by her station to show off his lasted high-tech toys, and she never lunched with Abby anymore. She was overworked to the point of irritability but she was so essential to keeping the ARC operating at peak efficiency that no one stopped to think perhaps she ought to take a break.

  
Except for Captain Becker. He'd had his eye on her for a while now, noting as the shadows beneath her eyes got darker and her fuse grew shorter. Finally the day came when she lost her temper. As the team was prepping for the field, Becker strapped on his vest and checked his equipment before inserting his communications earpiece. Suddenly there was a fierce shriek of feedback through the line, like daggers into his eardrum. And Jessica's.

  
"OW!" Jess exclaimed as she ripped off her headset and frantically dialed down the feed from Becker's mic. She spun in her chair to snap at him. "Oh for heaven's sake, Captain, are you trying to ruin my bloody day?! Honestly, you've used these comms enough, haven't you figured them out yet?"

  
"Sorry, Jess-"

  
She turned abruptly and presented her back to him before he could utter another word. She replaced her headset with an indignant toss of her hair and fingered her controls, he heard her muttering darkly to herself about "soldier boys destroying all her best tech". Rather an exaggeration given the circumstances. Of the entire team Becker had the fewest pieces of equipment lost down the gullet of a dinosaur of anyone.

  
Captain Becker cast a long, contemplative look in her direction before he replaced his earpiece. He'd have to worry about Jessica later; right now he had a job to do.

 

* * *

  
Jess was curtly professional as she coordinated the team's efforts in locating and locking the anomaly. When they had swept the area and found no sign of incursion, Becker ordered everyone back to the ARC but informed base he'd be taking a detour during his return. When he made it back to the Hub, Jess barely acknowledged him, she kept her eyes on her screens as she held out a hand for his comms. But instead of placing his earpiece and locator in her palm, he slipped his hand into hers and pulled her out of her chair with a gentle tug.

  
"Captain, what-?"

  
"Need your help with something. Come with me." he said, giving her hand another tug as he set off for the corridors.

  
Well he could have simply asked, she thought with a huff. She clattered along behind him, concentrating on keep pace with his long strides, a tricky feat in her tall heels. It was a few moments before she noticed the bulging military-issue canvas bag he was carrying.

  
"Help with what? Whats in the bag?"

  
"Sorry, highly classified, can't explain until we're in a secure location." Becker said, but Jess thought she saw one of his eyebrows raised in his uniquely subtle expression of amusement. Well if he wasn't going to say, she wasn't going to beg to know. After a few more minutes she realized he was leading her towards the Menagerie. If Abby needed help, why hadn't she asked Jess herself? They had just seen each other in the Hub not a half hour before when the rest of the team returned ahead of Becker.

  
Her confusion mounted as their entered the Menagerie and Becker headed straight for the observation deck instead of Abby's office. She followed and nearly ran into his back, not expecting him to pause at the railing above the mammoth's enclosure. Becker turned to her, setting the bag on the walkway and putting a hand on her shoulder.

  
"What's this about, Becker? I've got work to do."

  
"Work can wait. That's what this is about. You're working too hard and it is affecting your performance." He said, blunt but not unkind.

  
Jess was dumbfounded, for a moment utterly speechless. She poured every bit of effort and know-how into her job because she knew how important it was. Peoples lives depended on her and she took that very seriously. To have Becker standing there telling her it wasn't good enough… well, it hurt.

  
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Captain." Jess's voice was cold and stiff at first but as she spoke, her temper flamed. "Perhaps you'd feel more comfortable with another coordinator. Though Lester will be hard put to find someone who will work their bloody arse off as I have!"

  
Becker's warm hand squeezed her shoulder gently, cutting her off before she could build up a good head of steam.

  
"Don't misunderstand me, Jessica. You are the best there is. But even the best can burn out. If you insist on overachieving and giving 110% of yourself at all times, night and day, there will be nothing left of you. You're already different from the friendly Jess Parker i met when i came back to the ARC, the one who had a smile for everyone and a laugh for every bad joke."

  
"I do my job." she said, sullen.

  
"But it is your job, not your life. You don't have to live your job. If you don't take some downtime you are going to collapse, and then you wont be any good to anyone." She opened her mouth to speak but he gave her a shake. "When was the last time you took an hour for yourself?"

  
Jess found she couldn't answer. Lately it seemed like she worked from the moment she got out of bed until long after her head should have hit the pillow. Even her commutes to and from work were a blur she was often too tired to remember. Suddenly she felt vaguely depressed. All the work she had done, the extra hours she had put in and for what? Sure, the ARC operated more smoothly than it ever had, but what did she, personally, have to show for it? Nothing, except bags under her eyes, and the man standing before her now hinting that everyone was getting sick of her behavior.

  
Becker could see Jess growing despondent and knew that depression was no healthy substitute for irritation. Hopefully he had something for that. Releasing her, he snagged his bag from the floor and unzipped it.

  
"So, Miss Parker, you are hereby under orders to take an hour to enjoy yourself. I'll have Lester back them up if I need to. I do need your help though, see.." From within the bag Becker extracted a massive bunch of bananas, golden yellow and fragrant. "I can't possibly feed all these to that overgrown elephant by myself."

 

* * *

  
They spent a pleasant hour seated on the observation deck. Becker produced from his bag a thermos of rich cocoa and they sipped the warming drink as they fed bananas to the ecstatic mammoth. Jess managed to unwind enough to laugh when the creature's trunk, questing for its next treat, tickled her leg. They chatted companionably, talking about this and that. Becker revealed that bananas were his personal favorite, joking that he'd been quite tempted to keep the large cluster for himself. They avoided the subject of work until just before they left when Jess contritely apologized for snapping at him earlier.

  
"If you promise to start taking it easy more often, we'll call it forgotten." Becker said. "For now we do need to get back to the Hub." He helped her to her feet, then shouldered his bag. Snagging the last banana, he peeled it, taking a large bite before tossing the rest to the mammoth.

"Don't expect treats like this every day though, Dumbo." He spoke to the lumbering creature.

  
"His name isn't Dumbo," Jess laughed as she led the way out of the Menagerie, a tiny mischievous smile playing at her lips. "I named him Hilary."  
Behind her she heard Becker choke on his banana.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Becker/Jess, a restaurant, and the color blue

On Tuesdays they took lunch together.

 

It started after Becker gave Jess a lesson in shooting and she'd insisted upon treating him to a meal as thanks. Feeling her gratitude was unnecessary, Becker had tried to refuse but to no avail. He steadfastly declined to select where they should dine however. Keeping her safe was his job and he didn't approve of how long she had managed to get away with not being formally trained in self defense.

  
She had be hesitant, intimidated by the weight of the firearm. The recoil of her first shot sent her stumbling back, she might have fallen if not for Becker's solid form standing behind her. A full clip later she still hadn’t hit the target and was growing discouraged, but Becker insisted on demonstrating the proper technique further. The next few rounds her aim improved considerably, When they finished he praised her and she was struck with the mood to celebrate.

  
But she hadn't been able to decide where they ought to go. Every place that came to mind she had argued herself out of just as quickly. Claudio's was too fancy, Secret Bakery was too casual, fast food was definitely out.

  
"We could always try someplace new to both of us." Becker settled the issue by taking her elbow and steering her out of the ARC and onto the street.  
Career-driven and focused as both were, they had never paid much attention to the neighborhoods around their workplace. A few blocks past the anonymous office buildings that surrounded the Anomaly Research Center, they had discovered a quiet, shady street with a few small boutique shops, a tailor, and a hole-in-wall family-owned Japanese restaurant.

  
Remarking that she had yet to try sushi, Jess was utterly surprised to learn that Becker himself was an aficionado. He had always seemed rather a meat-and-potatoes sort of guy. Soon they were seated inside and his warm, strong fingers were on hers as he explained how to hold the chopsticks. She wasn't about to let him know she ate enough take-away Chinese food to know her way around a pair.

  
"However did you discover you have a fondness for raw fish and rice?" she asked him.

  
Becker told her about his brief stint in Japan, a fleeting moment of relative peace and beauty before he'd been sent back to the Middle East. She laughed at his stories of old comrades who had lived on military field rations for a week before deigning to sample the local cuisine. Becker insisted she sample a roll before he told her what was in it and Jess was surprised how delicious eel could be. Mimicking his actions, she dipped the fish of her nigiri rather than the rice into the soy sauce and wondered if it was a particular etiquette or merely a personal preference.

  
That had been the start of the love affair between Jess and sushi.

  
A week later the first craving hit. It niggled at her all day and her usual lunch seemed entirely devoid of flavor. When she was done with work for the day Jess headed straight for Kimura's, determined to satisfying the compulsion. A few rolls to take home to a bottle of wine and a bubblebath, what more could a girl ask for?  
But she hadn't been the only one with a craving; she ran into Captain Becker as she entered the restaurant. They exchanged pleasantries and Jess noticed his smug half-smile out of the corner of her eye as she'd studied the menu intently. But his order was ready within moments and he left to take his meal home.

  
A few days later, the desire for more dragged Jess out of the ARC at noontime. They ran into each other as she returned with her goodies in paper box bearing the Kimura's plum blossom logo. Becker was much too straight-laced to openly salivate over another person's lunch but she did catch him glancing it and suddenly wished she had thought to bring some back for him.

  
Having made a mental note to do so next time, Jess wasn't willing to wait for another craving to hit for the excuse. She waited exactly two days before dropping by the armory to casually ask if she could pick him up a bite while she was out. As Jess suspected, Mama Becker didn't raise a man who let a woman fetch and carry for him and she was pleased when he invited himself along. It was pleasant walking at his side, outside the ARC and away from the rest of the team.

  
The next week she had made the offer of fetching his lunch again with similar results, and the following week she didn't bother with the pretext just an invitation. Before too long, it became an established routine. Without actually making a plan or setting a time, on Tuesdays they met at Kimura's when they got hungry.

  
When Jess got there first she always sat in a booth but wouldn't admit even to herself that it was in hopes of feeling his knee brush against hers under the table.

  
In general Becker preferred to beat her there so he could seat them at the bar. Whoever invented the bar stool was clearly a leg man but Becker's poker face ensured Jess would never know how much he enjoyed watching the petite woman climb up on to the tall chair and primly cross one pretty little stocking-clad leg over the other.

  
But today he was running late. Literally running, and very noticeably late.

  
"Not very punctual, Captain." Jess called to him as he entered the restaurant. She wasn't actually irritated by it but she felt the need to tease him anyway; manners mattered.

  
"My apologies." Becker crossed to her table, making his excuses as he slipped out of his jacket and into the seat across from her. "I was planning to be here half an hour ago, but then Abby needed help in the menagerie and one thing led to another and I didn't get a chance to call. Did you order?"

  
Jess only gaped at him.

  
"Jess?"

  
"Wh-what are you wearing?" she asked.

  
"Hmm? Oh." Becker glanced down and smoothed a hand over the soft blue jumper covering his torso. "Things got a bit out of hand with the mammoth. That's why I was late, after a wash I only had a clean undershirt so i had to borrow this from Connor. Its a bit colorful but it fits well enough to get the job done."

  
Jess almost choked and fumbled for her drink.

  
"Fit well enough" were not the words to describe it. She was having trouble thinking of any that didn't trend towards the obscene. Connor preferred his jumpers to be large and baggy so the fit wasn't as bad as she might have guessed, but Connor was lean where Becker was solid. And the blue knit clung lovingly to his muscular form. The color made his ever-changing eyes shine a color she hadn't seen in them before. With his hair slightly disheveled from his run he was enough to set Jess's heart fluttering. He was handsome enough on a normal day, she thought, but now he looked.. softer, more casual. She squirmed in her seat.

  
It wasn't until Becker sat back and stretched his arms along the back of the booth's upholstered seat that he realized the cause of that flustered expression on Jess Parker's face. Her eyes followed the play of muscles in his shoulders, visible through the borrowed shirt. He pretended to smooth the shirt down, watching as her eyes followed his hands down over his abs before darting away as a hot blush crawled into her cheeks. Jess turned her attention to her drink to wet her suddenly dry mouth but it wasn't long before her gaze was back on him.

  
"So, did you order?" Becker asked once more.

  
He had to school himself not to grin. She was so distracted by him she was having trouble following the conversation. Of course it only made him want to puff out his chest more and an unconscious part of his mind wished he had a drink in front of him. How would she react to a subtle flex of a bicep as he reached across the table, he wondered.

  
"Jess?"

  
Somehow she managed to drag her eyes away from his godlike form. Jess shook her head to clear it and snapped back the rest of her drink in one swallow before she smiled at him.

  
"Right. Yes, I did. And you know what the price of leaving me to order is don't you, Captain?"

  
"Don't tell me.” he said, with a mock rueful groan. “Asparagus."

  
She recovered her composure with a cheeky grin and brandished her chopsticks with a flourish. Jessica's fetish for asparagus in her rolls was unrelenting. Becker had lost several arguments against its inclusion in their shared meals, but today he ate his half of the roll without complaint. Not that he really minded the vegetable itself so much. Sometimes it was just fun to get a reaction out of her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompt - Jess watching over Becker

Becker pounded through the back alley after the creature. It disappeared around a corner and he pursued only to come upon an 8 foot wall blocking his path. The creature was nowhere to be seen. He needed to contain this incursion now before the creatures made it onto the busy streets of London.

"Jess," Becker said, keying his radio. "I lost it, the alleyway is blocked. I can't track it on foot, I need eyes in the sky. Can Lester authorize a helicopter fast enough?"

"No need, Captain. Give me a tick." her voice over the line was cool and professional.

Her fingers were a blur over the keys as she manipulated the feeds available to her. Within moments Jess was connected to the CCTV network that watched over downtown London. Soon the many screens before her showed different angles of the block where Becker hunted. Her sharp eyes tracked the the flickers in each window until she found the creature.

"Got it. It's circled back towards the anomaly. Go back to the last turning and head south-southwest about 150 meters."

Jess watched the feeds, following Becker as he backtracked as per her directions. His stride was firm and purposeful, a man with a mission. Jess blushed when one screen momentarily showed a rather spectacular view of Becker's backside. 

A blur flashed by on another feed. And another.

She gasped. "Becker, stop!" The creatures were making straight for him.

He skid to a halt, settling into a reflexive crouch, his EMD primed. He scanned his surroundings, slowly pivoting his body till his back faced the nearest wall. Becker couldn't see any immediate threats but he was cautious and his voice low over the line. "Report."

"There's more." Jess explained. She jumped from one CCTV feed to another as she assessed the situation. "More have come through the anomaly. We're pulling you out. Backup is on its way. The creatures are trying to flank you. I'll watch your six and guide you to your rendezvous point with Captain Henshaw."

Becker rolled his eyes at Jess's voice in his ear. He ought to have known he would regret explaining the various military terms she picked up over her comms or from the telly. He tried to acknowledge but she cut him off.

"Do not give me that look, Captain Becker. Personnel safety comes first, that is your rule. If you like, I can get Lester in here to make it an order." her voice was smug. There was no argument he could offer to that.

His sharp eyes quickly located the camera trained on him, the only one he could see at an angle to show his face, and as he gazed steadily it, Jess almost felt he could see her from where he looked out of her screen. With a rueful shake of his head, Becker stood and began to retreat.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Becker's faced with memories of a war and Jess tries to comfort him. pre-s4 webisodes timeframe

Jess click-clacked down the hall in her heels. It had gotten late while she'd been testing her workstation's uplinks. The corridors were pretty bare at this hour, and technically the facility was still on stand-by until they had an active team. But she was getting used to puttering about the place alone. Well, not totally alone.

She detoured towards the menagerie. While reading the files on the old ARC team she had read about the mammoth. Jess had finally remembered to ask Lester about it and was awed by his story of how the mammoth had saved his life. She'd just pop in and have a quick peek.

It appeared even larger that it was in the relatively confined space of its pen in the Menagerie but Jess was still stunned by the enormity of it. She'd expected something rather like the elephants she saw at the Wellington Zoo, but this creature was double the size! Sensing her presence on the observation deck, the lumbering creature swung its trunk over to investigate. Its fearsome tusks rattled against the railing, frightening her, and she skittered back as the trunk slipped through the rails. But after snuffling about her shoes for a moment the (relatively) docile creature retreated.

Reassured by its apparent disinterest in goring her, Jess drew a shaky breath, chuckling weakly at herself both for coming and for being so afraid. She had read Abby's notes as well as the team mission files and knew the creature wouldn't attack unless it felt confused or threatened. At 5'4" in her stocking, Jess rather doubted her ability to threaten anything.

"Seems you've the good sense not to mess up my shoes, I paid a fair bit for these." She tried for a weak joke as she sat down on the deck.

Propping her chin on one of the railings, her feet swung in the air above the mammoth's pen, as she watched the great beast munch contentedly on its feed. It occurred to her to wonder if anyone had named him.

 

* * *

 

Captain Becker sat back and scrubbed at his face with his hands, rubbing his tired eyes. He'd been reviewing personnel files and brushing up on the new security measures in an attempt to keep busy and distract himself from his thoughts. He wasn't sure it wad been wise to allow himself to be recalled to the ARC, but they were obviously going to take the risks with or without him. Perhaps fewer people would be hurt with his expertise on hand.

He stretched and craned his head to each side until his neck cracked, sore with fatigue and tension. The previous ARC facility had too many memories in it but as he rolled his stiff shoulders, Becker found himself almost missing the white sofa in the old lounge. Even if Connor had always left his computer and papers all over it. It was a cozier spot for reading than the utilitarian common room of the new ARC with its metal tables and bare shelves.

Tilting his uncomfortable folding chair onto its back legs, Becker folded his arms over his broad chest and leaned his shoulders against the wall. A pang struck him at the thought of Connor and he closed his eyes against the pain. His team, all of them, had been gone for almost a year. Ten months since he'd lost the last of them. Since he'd failed in his primary mission, his only mission, of keeping them safe. His exhausted mind taunted him, asking how useful his so-called expertise really was, when it had _ever_ kept anyone alive. With a tired sigh, Becker grappled once more with the inner demons he faced every day. It never got easier to keep them at bay.

 

* * *

 

Jess giggled as at the mammoth trumpeted again, its trunk wrapping around a sheaf of grass and tossing it aloft. Jess gained her feet and brushed the grass from her dress as the blades rained down around her. 

"I take it you like that name, then?" She didn't feel the least bit awkward talking to the creature now, though she imagined she probably looked pretty silly. "I've got togo, I'm dying for a bit of chocolate. I promise I'll come visit again. Good night, Hilary!"

She was still smiling to herself as she entered the canteen but she clattered to a halt when she realized she wasn't alone. A blush spread over her cheeks as she identified Becker at the far table, his back to the wall and the whole room visible. These military types never dropped their guard for a second. Before she had a chance to open her mouth and make a fool of herself, she noticed his lowered lashes. _Ha. Sleeping sitting up_ , she thought. _Not so on gaurd after all, are we Captain?_

Her sweet tooth forgotten, she leaned against the door frame observing him for a moment. He really was very fit, she mused. And tall. And such nice, crisp dark hair falling over his forehead. Begging for her to run her fingers through it. Tall, Dark, and Handsome personified, she thought. Abruptly Jess forced herself to shake off those thoughts. Her cheeks warmed again; she'd been ogling him in his sleep!

 

She couldn't get to her snack without waking him, which she was loathe to do. He had been tense since he'd walked into the facility. Quietly, she backed away.

 

* * *

 

Becker felt eyes upon them and halted his team. Flattening his hand, palm down, he signaled them all into a crouch. The unit of eight Special Ops commandos waited and listened in tense stillness. Each gave the sign for All Clear, but still Becker held them hiding in the semi-darkness. Still blazing from the heat of the Middle Eastern sun that was about to sink, the warehouse they squatted in was only half a klick from their target. 

His second in command shifted closer and Becker's ears picked up the low murmur, nearly indistinguishable from the sound of blowing sand.

"Orders, sir?" came the whisper.

"Something's off. Take Kearney and see if the other route is clear. I'm taking us to plan beta."

Becker sensed rather than saw the other man's signal of acknowledgment before he moved away. A dark form detached itself from the team to melt into the shadows besides him. Before the two men slid out of sight in the gathering gloom outside, a flicker of movement caught Becker's eye. A tiny pinpoint of light jittered over Kearney's back.

Laser scope.

As Becker tried to yell a warning, the room exploded with gunfire.

* * *

 

The best Jess has been able to find was a shock blanket from the infirmary. Still it was better than sleeping with nothing and she was sure even a big, strong man like Becker appreciated a blanket at night. She gently shook out the folds as she tiptoed up to him, irrationally a bit pleased to note he didn't snore, and began to cover the sleeping man.

Becker came awake with an incoherent shout and an explosion of movement. The forelegs of his chair slammed to the floor and his hands seized the blanket Jess held over him. Too startled to react, she stood frozen before him with her heart racing. Furiously blinking sleep from his eyes, Becker identified her and noticed the color rapidly rushing to her cheeks.

"Jess? What is it? Whats happened?" His voice was a bit hoarse and edged with panic as he tried to get his bearings, struggling to bring his mind into a state of comprehension.

"Nothing," she gaped at him. It came out as a squeak and she cleared her throat to repeat. "Nothing, I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I just thought you'd be more comfortable…" His brow furrowed in confusion but Becker released his hold on the blanket, and his tension. Embarrassed by her position hovering over him, far too close for comfort now that he sat upright, Jess backed away. "You must have been having a bad dream."

"Yeah," Avoiding her eyes, he turned aside and propped his elbows on knees to bury his face in his hands. It always took a moment after a nightmare like that for the real world to sink back in and the memories of war to fade away. "Yeah, must be."

His military files were classified but she knew Becker had been decorated enough times to have seen things she couldn't begin to imagine. Jess gazed at his bowed head, thinking of the files she had read about the ARC team he had worked closely with and risked his life for, only to be the one left behind. He had retired after the death of Dr. Page and lord knows how Lester had convinced him to come back. The memories must be painful. She had to fight the urge to soothe him, to pull his head to her chest and give him whatever comfort she could.

"If it helps to talk…" she offered awkwardly instead.

At first he didn't respond, then a hand reached out to hers where it lay on the table. A brief squeeze, then his voice rumbled low.

"Its fine, Jess."

She could sense it wasn't. But everything she had learned about him painted the picture of a proud and stubborn man, he probably didn't appreciate being caught in such a vulnerable moment. She didn't know him well enough to press it, to pry him open. She had only just met the man, could hardly even call herself his friend yet. Perhaps someday she would.

"How about some cocoa?" she asked. He sat up again as she hopped off the table. His face was impassive once more, she couldn't read him. "I've got a secret stash of chocolate nobody knows about. Highly classified. But something tells me you can keep that sensitive information under wraps."

With that quip Jess gave him a pat on the shoulder that she told herself was strictly a friendly gesture of comfort. But her palm tingled warmly as she bustled off to fix their drinks. Becker's eyed, bloodshot but a bit curious about this bubbly young woman, watched her go.


End file.
